# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S75
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 75 —

and he repeats this exhortation also in 1 Tim. 4:16. A preacher cannot
rightly watch over the congregation unless he first watches rightly over
himself. The devil assails every Christian, but he pursues a preacher in a
tenfold stronger way; for if he brings down a Christian, he has felled only
one, but if he succeeds in bringing down a preacher, he generally drags a
multitude of others into ruin along with him. All the greater, therefore,
must be the watchfulness a preacher has to exercise. Among the priests of
the Roman church it is, by their belief, not so necessary that the priest
watch rightly over himself, for there it is believed that by virtue of the
ordination he has received the priest is a specially holy person endowed
with special privileges, and remains so even if there should be much to
blame in his life and conduct; for he remains, regardless, the person who
alone has the power to say Mass, to absolve, to perform the sacrament, and
the like. It is otherwise among Lutherans. There it is said: even if a
preacher teaches purely but does not live rightly, he tears down again
through his unholy life what he has built through his teaching. Surely he
will be no good watchman for the congregation who does not even watch
over himself, and will he who does not see to his own eternal welfare care
for his congregation instead? It is said expressly of preachers that they are
to be examples [*Vorbilder*] to the flock. Oh, that we might take this truly
to heart in this jubilee season! Complaints are unfortunately heard, even
among us, that preachers do not walk considerately. That is something
most lamentable. Such preachers can never answer for what they do; they
do terrible harm. The offense that a preacher gives is a thousand times
greater and worse than that which an ordinary Christian gives even by a
grave fall. It is said that one must show forbearance toward a preacher
who lives on in sin — but no, toward such a preacher one should show no
forbearance, for the sake of the office he disgraces, and for the sake of the
harm his wicked life also causes among others. A preacher should live so
that he has no need to claim people's forbearance; he should live in an
edifying way; he should adorn the gospel with a holy walk of life; that is
God's will, and woe to him if he does not do it! —

It was then explained further what it means that the preacher is to
keep the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. It means that he must
not deny the gospel through sins against his conscience, for if he does that,
he loses the faith, and once he has lost the faith that makes him blessed, he
gradually loses also the pure preaching of the faith, so that he drags his
hearers too into his ruin. And if he then also goes on living in gross sins
against conscience, then with the one hand he now tears down, by giving
offense, what he had earlier built up with the other.